Imagine if you will, sitting in class when a loud clashing sound reverberates over your head. As you nearly jump out of your skin, the volunteer coordinator just laughs and says “don’t worry, it’s just another avocado dropping on our tin roof.” Yes, avocados grow on trees here and they’re hugh . Coming in 3 sizes- small, medium and large, the biggest ones are about the size of a baby’s head and the small ones are still at least 2 times bigger than any I’ve seen in the states. Numerous other fruit trees dot the landscape here along with beautiful flowers. Most people I ask don ‘t know the names at least not in English so I can’t begin to identify the pictures I've taken. I had planned to add some photos but it takes so long to upload them that I can't do that today when I'm on battery power.
Greens grow wild here and we have them at every meal except breakfast. We also have bananas, avocados, oranges and cucumbers at every meal including breakfast. Fortunately, I like all of them so I’m enjoying them but sometimes just have a small portion of greens. Bananas are sometimes cooked with meat or just roasted giving them an almost potato-like texture. They’re quite good cooked. Last week, I tried fresh passion fruit for the first time and I loved it. It’s sweet but also has a nice tangy taste as well. With its unique taste and texture, I find it hard to describe. And of course, the mango is so wonderfully delicious!!!
Getting around Arusha is not too difficult but it is somewhat spread out. My home stay is out in a development called Sakina on the North side of town. Located on the Narobie-Moshi Road, it’s a little too far to walk to the GSC office. Therefore, I take the daladala (bus) starting with the yellow line to the 1st stop light and then take the green line to just beyond the 2nd stop light where I can take a shortcut through woods and an apartment complex to the office.
The daladals are privately owned by individuals mostly but they may own several dalas instead of just one. Owners hire a driver and a conductor and depend on them to do all the work. The owner takes a percentage of the total fares for the day and then deducts an amount for maintenance and petrol. Whatever is left over gets divided between the driver and the conductor. So you see the incentive is to put as many people as possible on the bus. Even when the seats are full, they still stop for folks and squeeze then in by standing or leaning whichever way they can. With so many people on the dala, it’s impossible to see any landmarks so you just have to know the name of the stop you want so you can tell the conductor and hope he remembers it. I think I have the names down now but at first they were so strange and unfamiliar, I could not remember them. I still say them differently than locals and sometimes the conductors laugh at me or look at me with a comical look. But mostly I’m managing to get where I need to go.
The daladalas are small vans with about 15-20 seats and a sliding door on the left side. The conductor rides with his head out the window so he can spot folks who might want to get on. (See pic below.) When he sees a potential rider, he slaps the side of the van to signal the driver to stop. When all the folks are on, he slaps the side a couple of times to tell the driver to go again. Supposedly, the fare depends on how far one rides but it’s always been 300 shillings for me even if I went a very short distance. The conductor has bills in his left hand and coins in his right hand. Sometimes he takes the fare while riding if there are no potential riders by the side of the road. Other times he takes the fare after you get out. There’s very little conversation on the dala and the conductor hardly says a word. He just holds a hand near you and you give him money after which he gives you change if needed.
One morning I gave the conductor two coins worth 200 shillings each for a total of 400 shillings. When he didn’t give my any change, I began protesting but he just showed me the 200 shilling coins he had in his right hand. He didn’t have any 100 shilling coins and was not about to just charge 200 shillings. I just had to figure this out on my own as he never said a word to me. He just slapped the dala a couple of times and away the bus went. However, before you think I’m being ripped off, consider that one dollar is worth about 1500 shillings so the 300 shilling fare amounts to about 20 cents and the lack of change may have cost me a nickel. Certainly not enough to be really upset.
One day before I knew the name of my home stay stop, I was telling the conductor in English that I wanted off at the Tanzania Assembles of God. He did not understand a word I was saying so I didn’t know what to do. Previously, I had tired writing down the name of my stop but again the conductor had no idea what it said and he passed it around to everyone on the dala. No one had a clue as to what I was trying to communicate. At any rate, on this particular day, a lady in the row in front of me asked in English where I wanted to get off. When I told her Tanzania Assemblies of God, she understood and it turned out that she was getting off at the same stop. As we walked the short distance to my home stay gate, we chatted in English. Judy Henry is working with Maasai Women’s Development Corporation, a private organization trying to help empower Maasai women. The director is a Maasai woman which is quite remarkable in itself since males are totally dominant in that culture. More typically, Maasai women have no say about anything and are expected to be submissive since gender roles are quite rigid and defined. Judy and I exchanged phone numbers and emails and have continued to text each other when I’ve been in villages. Last Sunday when I was back in Arusha, we met at 7Up Restaurant for a soda and chat. It turns out her position is temporary and she is looking for another job. She hopes to get a Masters degree at Cambridge but wants to get some experience first before furthering her education. I’ve enjoyed meeting her but now I’m in Karatu and will not be back in Arusha until Sept 3rd. I don’t know if I will see her again but she texts me almost every day. I will try to meet her and treat her when I get back as she treated me last Sunday. Well I must stop for now so I’ll tell you about Karatu at a later time. Hope your summer is going well. Take care. Bye for now.
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| Daladala Yellow Line |
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